Small animal litter tray

ABSTRACT

A small litter box ( 1 ), particularly for cats, comprises an upper tray ( 2 ) with a perforated bottom wall ( 4 ) for carrying litter material, and a lower tray ( 10 ) for receiving urine and particles dropping from the first tray through the perforated bottom wall thereof. The first tray ( 2 ) is intended to contain litter material in the form of pellets that are disintegrated into smaller particles when the pellets absorb urine, and the perforated bottom wall ( 4 ) has holes ( 5 ) each of which is dimensioned such that smaller particles from a disintegrated pellet are able to pass through the hole while an intact pellet is prevented from passing through the hole. Normally, each hole ( 5 ) has a diameter f between 4 and 7 mm, preferably 5 mm. Litter material for one in the small animal litter box consists of wood-shavings compressed to pellets with a thickness of between 4 and 7 mm, preferably 6 mm.

[0001] The present invention relates to a small animal litter box comprising a first tray with a perforated bottom wall for carrying litter material, and a second tray situated under the first tray for receiving freely dropping urine and particles that have passed through the perforated bottom wall of the first tray.

[0002] A small animal litter box composed of two tray is disclosed in DE 41 27 635 A1. In the known litter box the two trays have identical circumferential walls with a truncated conical shape. This enables placing the first tray telescopically in the second tray, which is intended to stand with its bottom directly on the floor and thus carry the first tray. The perforated bottom wall has relatively small holes with a diameter of a few millimetres to petit drainage of urine from the first tray to the second tray, whereas all solid substances present in the first tray are to be prevented from passing the holes.

[0003] A problem of the known litter box according to DE 41 27 835 is that its stands relatively unstable on the floor due to the conical shape of the trays. This results in the risk of the small animal, for example a cat, or a human tipping over the litter box so that its contents is spread outside the litter box.

[0004] U.S. Pat. No. 4,848,274 discloses a small animal litter box that likewise is composed of an upper tray with a perforated bottom wall and a lower tray for receiving urine. In this case the upper tray is provided with a sideboard extending downwardly from the upper confining edge of the tray past the perforated bottom wall. As a result a space f or the lower tray is defined between the sideboard, the perforated bottom wall and the floor, when the upper tray is placed on a floor. By means of the sideboard this known small animal litter box stands stable on the floor. Between the perforated bottom wall and the lower tray there is placed a liquid absorbing material. A locking device engages the two trays so that the liquid absorbing material is pressed against the perforated bottom wall. Thus, solid material can not pass through the perforated bottom wall down into the lower tray.

[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide an environmentally friendly hygienic small animal litter box, which is easy to keep clean and which is intended for such kind of animals that have an instinct to burrow there faeces.

[0006] This object is obtained by a small animal litter box of the kind initially stated characterised in that the first tray is intended to contain litter material in the form of pellets that are disintegrated into smaller particles when the pellets absorb urine, and the perforated bottom wall have holes, each of which is dimensioned such that smaller particles from a disintegrated pellet are able to pass through the hole while an intact pellet is prevented from passing through the hole.

[0007] Hereby the significant advantages is achieved that also litter particles that have absorbed urine easily can be removed from the small animal litter box with the aid of the second tray, which is a striking improvement in a hygienic sense as compared with traditional small animal litter boxes. The risk of polluted litter material getting stuck on the paws of the animal and be transferred to humans is substantially reduced.

[0008] For environmental reasons pellets of compress d wood-shavings with a thickness of between 4 and 7 mm can be used. Polluted wood-shavings from such wood-shaving pellets can conveniently be flushed down the toilet. For heating purposes there are currently cylindrical pellets of compressed wood-shavings on the market excellent for use in the small animal litter box according to the invention. Since these cylindrical pellets have a diameter of about 6 mm the holes of the bottom wall are suitably designed with a size of abort 5 mm in diameter for circular holes, Generally, each hole should not be larger than 90% of the size of each pellet.

[0009] Advantageously, the sideboard is joined to the first tray and extends downwardly from the upper confining edge thereof past the perforated bottom wall; so that when the first tray is placed on a floor there is a space defined between the sideboard, the perforated bottom wall and the floor, wherein the second tray can be placed loose in said space. Besides the advantageous function to keep the first tray stable on the floor the sideboard also has the function to keep the second tray in place under the first tray. With the second tray placed loose in said space particles from this integrated pellets are thus able to pass through the perforated bottom wall and drop down into the second tray.

[0010] The small animal litter box will be particularly stable if the sideboard is designed as a truncated cone with the base situated on the floor.

[0011] The first tray preferably has a corner-less circumferential wall, suitably with oval cross-section, which makes the tray easy to clean. To further facilitate cleaning of the first tray the corner-less circumferential wall suitably has the shape of a truncated cone with the base situated at the upper confining edge of the circumferential wall .

[0012] The invention is described in more detail in the following with reference to the accompanying drawing, which

[0013]FIG. 1 shows a vertical cross-section through a small animal litter box according to the invention placed on a floor,

[0014]FIG. 2 shows a view obliquely from above of an upper tray of the small animal litter box according to FIG. 1, and

[0015]FIG. 3 shows a view obliquely from above of a lower tray of the small animal litter box according to FIG. 1.

[0016] With reference to the figures there is Shown a small animal litter box 1 comprising an upper tray 2 having a conically inwardly tapering circumferential wall 3 with an oval cross-section, and a perforated bottom wall 4 with circular holes 5. The holes 5 have a diameter of a about 5 mm and are distributed across the entire bottom wall 4 with a distance between the centres of adjacent holes 5 of 15 mm. From the upper circumferential edge 6 of the circumferential wall 3 the sideboard 7 extends conically outwardly and downwardly past the bottom wall 4 to a floor 8, so that a space is defined between the sideboard 7, the bottom wall 4 an the floor 8. The tray 2 and the sideboard 7 are made in one single piece.

[0017] A lower tray 10 is placed loose in the space 9 under the perforated bottom wall 4. The tray 10 has an oval shape adapted to the upper tray 2, so that the tray 10 extends under the entire perforated bottom wall 4.

[0018] Both the tray 2 including the sideboard 7 arranged thereto and the tray 10 are suitably made of a rigid plastic material.

[0019] The small animal litter box illustrated is dimensioned in view of the animal species it is to serve, for example cat, rabbit, guinea-pig, rat or the like. With respect to the dimensioning of the box, consideration is also taken with regard to the eagerness of the animal species to scratch the litter material.

[0020] When using the stall animal litter box according to the invention a relatively thin layer, about 1 to 2 cm thick, of wood-having pellets is strewed on the bottom wall 4 of the upper tray 2. When for example a cat sits in the tray 2 to urinate most of the urine will directly pass the thin layer of pellets through the holes 5 down into the lower tray 10. After the cat has relieved itself it will scratch over the pellets steeped in urine, which results in that it also disintegrate other now dry pellets that have absorbed urine at a previous visit by the cat. The smaller particles that arise when the pellets are disintegrated drop by the effect of the scratching of the cat down through the holes 5 and are collected in the lower tray 10. When the cat defecates wood-shavings will deposit on the surface of the faeces, so that the faeces easily can be removed from the upper tray 2 and advantageously be flushed down in a water closet. 

1. A small animal litter box (1) comprising a first tray (2) with a perforated bottom wall (4) for c g litter material, and a second tray (10) situated under the first tray for receiving freely falling urine and particles that have passed through the perforated bottom wall of the first tray, characterised in that the first tray (2) is intended to contain litter material in the form of pellets that are disintegrated into smaller particles when the pellets absorb urine, and the perforated bottom wall (4) have holes (5) each of which is dimensioned such that smaller particles from a disintegrated pellets are able to pass through the hole while an act pellet is prevented from passing through the hole.
 2. A small animal litter box according to claim 1, characterised by a sideboard (7), which is joined to the first tray (2) and extends downwardly from the upper confining edge thereof past the perforated bottom wall (4), so that when the first tray is placed on a floor (8) a space (3) is defined between the sideboard, the perforated bottom wall and the floor, wherein the second tray (10) can be placed loose in said space.
 3. A small animal litter box according to claim 2, characterised in that the sideboard (7) has the shape of a truncated cone with the base situated on the floor (8).
 4. A small animal litter box according to any of claims 1-3, characterised in that the first tray (2) has a corner-less circumferential wall (3).
 5. A small animal litter box according to claim 4, characterised in that the corner-less circumferential wall (3) has an oval cross-section.
 5. A small animal litter box according to claim 4 or 5, characterised in that corner-less circumferential wall (3) has the shape of a truncated cone with the base situated at the upper confining edge (6) of the circumferential wall.
 7. A small animal litter box according to any of claim 1-6, characterised in that each hole (5) in the perforated bottom wall is circular with a diameter that is at most 90% of the diameter of the pellets.
 8. A small animal litter box according to claim 7, characterised in that each hole (5) has a diameter of between 4 and 7 mm, preferably 5 mm.
 9. Pellets for use in a small animal litter box according to any of claims 1-8, characterised in that they consist of compressed wood-shavings.
 10. Pellets according to claim 9, characterised in that they have a thickness of between 4 and 7 mm, preferably 6 mm. 